The present invention relates generally to dental hygiene and in particular to a toothbrush assembly having bristles for brushing teeth and a water fountain device for rinsing the teeth and mouth after brushing.
Proper brushing is essential for maintaining healthy teeth and gums. Rinsing the mouth after brushing is also necessary for good oral hygiene. A person, after brushing, typically reaches for a container such as a glass or cup, fills the container with water, and then uses the water in the container to rinse his/her mouth. This function is generally repeated several times since the container holds only a limited amount of water. Alternately, one cups his/her hand(s) under flowing water from a faucet and uses the continuous flow of water to rinse the mouth.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,338,124 the Spicer et al., there is described a water squirt toothbrush which consists of a handle having a chamber containing a limited amount of water which upon activation of a water squirting mechanism, water is forced out of the chamber and into the bristles of the toothbrush to rinse the teeth of the user. The effectiveness of the device to thoroughly rinse the user""s mouth is extremely limited by the amount of water contained in the chamber.
U.S. Pat. No. Dec. 391,399 to Mills illustrates a toothbrush kit containing a disposable toothbrush, a packet of toothpaste, and a disposable, foldable rinsing cup.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,934,597 to Crutcher discloses a plastic fountain attachment for a faucet. The distal end of the attachment has a flap which can be held against an opening in the attachment such that water flowing from the faucet through the attachment is diverted through an upwardly directed conduit providing a fountain outlet for drinking.
Various other conventional dental care devices which are available are unable to provide the novel improvements of the present invention.
In accordance with the present invention, it is a primary object to provide a toothbrush assembly which is simple and easy to use for brushing one""s teeth and rinsing one""s mouth after brushing.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a toothbrush assembly for brushing one""s teeth and rinsing one""s mouth after brushing wherein the rinsing is not restricted by a limited reservoir of water.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a toothbrush assembly which is economical to manufacture.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a toothbrush assembly having separate brushing and rinsing components.
The present invention describes and illustrates a toothbrush assembly for brushing one""s teeth and rinsing one""s mouth after brushing. In accordance with the invention, the assembly includes a toothbrush and a rinsing attachment at the end of the toothbrush handle opposite the brush head. After brushing one""s teeth, the toothbrush assembly with the rinsing attachment is placed under a flow of water from a faucet such that the flow of water is directed into a recessed surface area of the rinsing device where it provides a fountain of water which can be easily and conveniently used by the user to rinse his/her mouth.